Springfield teenager airlifted for burn injuries

A Springfield teenager suffered severe burns Sunday morning when he accidentally set off an explosion by using a lighter too close to a gasoline can, authorities said.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20141117/THISJUSTIN/711179960

Springfield teenager airlifted for burn injuries By ERIC FRANCIS CORRESPONDENT | November 17,2014 Email Article Print Article SPRINGFIELD — A Springfield teenager suffered severe burns Sunday morning when he accidentally set off an explosion by using a lighter too close to a gasoline can, authorities said. The teen sustained burns to his upper torso and face and was airlifted within the hour to a burn hospital in Boston. The mishap occurred shortly before noon outside a residence on Commonwealth Avenue, which runs opposite the Springfield Police Station just beyond the tree line on the far bank of the Black River. In the initial confusion following the loud bang, the incident was first reported to 911 dispatchers by neighbors as a shooting. “We were just trying to make sure we didn’t get shot because initially it was (believed to be) a gunshot and then someone was on fire and so it was chaotic. We didn’t know whether we should be bringing an ambulance or a fire truck,” recalled Springfield Fire Captain Bay Wheeler. “It was not intentional at all,” Wheeler said of the victim’s actions. “He was around gas vapors and somehow got into the vapors and got the vapors lit. We went and got him to the helicopter.” The Dartmouth Hitchcock Air Response Team helicopter landed in the parking lot helipad at Springfield Hospital and flew the teen straight to a burn center in Boston. “In today’s terms his injuries are probably not life-threatening (because) today they can do a lot,” Wheeler explained, adding, “Obviously it was nothing that was going to be cared for in this area since we just don’t have the specialty. Burns are their own thing and any time you get facial burns and things like that they need specialized care. We count on DHART to get them (to dedicated burn centers) safely with proper pain management and fluid management and all that sort of serious stuff.” https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/1511421_10203211966880550_8367338748566532340_n.jpg?oh=d862b7e5ffef914ccf988d1cd9f73352&oe=54D83C4F&__gda__=1423815461_b1efdbccab8ec4565202092899c21d80 Zachary Stone-Humphrey